Zack Wheeler can feel the burn of a long season but insists that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“I’m a little tired” the Mets rookie said before his team beat the Nationals 3-2 last night. “My velocity has dropped a little obviously [but] I’m learning to pitch at that level so next year when I come back and my velocity is good to go back up I’m hoping I pick up where I am right now command-wise.”

Wheeler may pass a milestone of sorts tonight when he faces the Nationals: The right-hander has pitched 145 innings combined between Triple-A Las Vegas and the Mets this season four short of his career high established last year.

The Mets expect Wheeler to approach 180 innings overall before receiving a late-September shutdown. Along the way there is the expectation he will continue to pitch at a high level.